Will the Public Lose its Right to Know About Toxic Releases by Industry?

Will the public lose its right to know about toxic releases by industry? Congress could face a vote on the issue as early as today. Proposed changes by the Environmental Protection Agency would essentially dismantle its Toxics Release Inventory - or TRI.

The TRI program tracks the amount of toxic chemicals manufacturing facilities release into the environment. Last September, the EPA announced plans to significantly roll back the program's reporting requirements in order to reduce the paperwork burden on corporations.

The agency's proposed changes include allowing companies to release ten times as much pollution before being required to report the details of how much was produced and where it went. The EPA has also proposed collecting TRI pollution reports every other year, instead of the currently-required annual submissions.

The reporting changes have met with opposition from community groups, public interest watchdogs and members of Congress. A vote is expected as early as today on an amendment to the House Interior Appropriations bill that would prevent the EPA from spending money on implementing the proposed changes.

* Sean Moulton, director of Federal Information Policy at OMB Watch, a Washington-based watchdog group.

LISTEN ONLINE:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/05/18/1425225